US President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday that, “The meeting in Doha is going to be perhaps important, perhaps not. We’re going to find out.”
At the same time he maintained “we’re winning militarily” and repeated his condition that Iran must be stopped from producing a nuclear weapon.
Iranian and US negotiating teams were due in Doha this week, but Iran said on Monday no meeting had been scheduled as weekend missile fire from both sides tested the interim ceasefire to end the four-month-old war.
Trump is sending his son-in-law Jared Kushner and his envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the negotiating team, according to his press secretary Karoline Leavitt. While Iran is sending its technical delegation to Qatar this week, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said this had “no relation” to the Americans’ visit and no talks between the two sides were scheduled.
Read: Iran says ‘no planned negotiations’ with US in coming days as Washington says Doha meeting set for tomorrow
“We will not have any negotiation meetings at any level with the American side in the coming days,” Baghaei said.
The disagreement over whether the sides would even meet underscored the fragility of a June 17 accord to pause a conflict that has disrupted global oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz and created a political headache for Trump ahead of November’s congressional elections.
The US and Iran gave themselves at least 60 days to implement the 14-point memorandum of understanding to extend an April ceasefire, discuss Iran’s nuclear program and negotiate a permanent truce. But progress has been halting, with each side accusing the other of violating agreed terms.
After the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow chokepoint that previously carried about a fifth of the global oil trade, came to a virtual standstill.
Israel has not joined the US-Iran peace talks and has distanced itself from the agreement. Tensions between Washington and Tehran have complicated efforts to end fighting in Lebanon, where Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah, has cast doubt on a separate, US-brokered agreement between Lebanon and Israel aimed at halting the conflict.
Closure of the waterway sent oil prices above $100 a barrel, pushing up global inflation and putting pressure on Trump ahead of the midterm elections that will determine control of the US Congress, where some of his fellow Republicans have criticised the president for waging war without lawmakers’ authorisation.
A senior Iranian official said there would be a meeting in Doha on Tuesday, but unlike previous technical talks between Iran and US teams in Switzerland, the focus would be on managing the Strait of Hormuz and de-escalating tensions.
Another official with knowledge of the plans said technical teams from the US and Iran are expected to meet separately with Qatari and Pakistani mediators on Wednesday.
Iran, France foreign ministers discuss US-Iran understanding in phone call
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot discussed the implementation of the US-Iran understanding in a phone call, state broadcaster IRIB reported Tuesday.
Iran, France FMs discuss Islamabad MoU implementationhttps://t.co/ovPYyLhel0
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) June 30, 2026
According to the report, the two ministers exchanged views on the latest regional and international developments, focusing on the implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
The talks, held Monday evening, centered on the provisions of the memorandum and its implementation process, intended to end the war and advance negotiations between the parties.
The memorandum, under Pakistani mediation, entered into force on June 18 after being electronically signed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump.
It provides a framework for ending the conflict and addressing outstanding issues between Washington and Tehran through negotiations, including cessation of hostilities, sanctions relief, the nuclear file, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and broader regional security arrangements.
2 members of Iran’s IRGC killed in shooting: reports
Two members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed and two others injured in what authorities described as a “terrorist” shooting in Iran’s western Kermanshah province, state broadcaster IRIB reported Tuesday.
The attack took place Monday evening in Paveh County, near Iran’s border with Iraq, the state-run IRIB broadcaster reported, citing a statement from the IRGC’s Public Relations Office in Kermanshah province.
According to the statement, unidentified assailants opened fire at the entrance of a house in what it described as a “cowardly and treacherous terrorist act.”
The two men killed were identified only as local IRGC members. Two other people were injured in the attack.
The IRGC said an investigation is underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting and identify those responsible.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Tension in Washington over Hormuz
Iran has sought leverage by sharing its control of the Strait with neighbouring Oman, saying it plans to charge fees to ships using the waterway and to obstruct vessels that stray outside defined paths.
The US has claimed that Iran has hit at least two commercial ships with missiles or drones in recent days and has bombed Iranian military facilities in response. Iran, in turn, launched missiles and drones at US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain early on Sunday.
Read more: Pakistan moves to salvage fragile ceasefire
Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed members of Congress on Iran by phone on Monday. Republican Senator Steve Daines told reporters they kept their remarks to a minimum, but he nonetheless deemed the conversation “constructive.”
Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, however, called the briefing “deficient and devoid of details.”
“After dragging America into a costly war, the Trump administration still can’t name a single thing Americans got in return. Instead, Secretary Rubio confirmed to me that Iran will reap billions in oil revenue while retaining dangerous leverage over the Strait of Hormuz,” Schumer said.
Release of frozen Iranian assets
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that $6 billion of the $12 billion in assets frozen in Qatar would be released and returned to Iran, Iranian state media reported.
He described the memorandum, which includes U.S. waivers for sanctions on Iran’s oil and petrochemical sectors, as “a great victory for the Iranian people.”
Oil prices rose more than 1% after weekend hostilities highlighted the fragility of the U.S.-Iran accord.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said he was working with Oman to de-escalate tensions and would cooperate with partners to de-mine the Strait of Hormuz.
But Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi responded with an X post that the removal of mines was to be carried out solely by Iran according to the 14-point plan. He warned France against complicating the situation.Latest News, Breaking News & Top News Stories | The Express TribuneReutersRead More